Day: March 6, 2024

Some residents of Ketu South have attributed the prevailing peace in the country to prayers offered to God by school children. The residents said though the workings of the Almighty in sustaining Ghana's peace could not be left out, it was important to give credit to the young learners for praying over the country five days in every week. They spoke to Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the Municipality's Independence Day parade in commemoration of Ghana's 67th Anniversary celebration saying, a lot of underlying conditions that could drive people to radicalise and join groups to disturb the country's peace were on the rise but still, peace prevailed. Madam Cynthia Agbodo referred to the National Anthem which opens with 'God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong' to drive home her point. 'Just listen to the words of our anthem. These young school boys and girls, some of them very innocent, sing this song from Monday to Friday. Why won't God listen to them? We have peace in Ghana not because we're doing everything right, we are tolerant, forgiving, or anything. It's just by grace and that's why we should be thankful to God and our children.' 'I tell you; things are hard. Socio-economic issues, poor governance, just to name it. It's important for our leaders to sit up and make the necessary corrections because for me, we need this peace currently in the country,' she said. Another, who identified her name only as Mawusi said she had come out to witness the parade only because her children were participating in the march past. 'There's nothing interesting about the anniversary celebration. It's been 67 years since Ghana gained her independence from English colonial rule but there is little, we as Ghanaians can be proud of. We're in one piece as a country because of the prayers of our children - The National Anthem and the Lord's Prayer (from the Holy Bible) and we thank God for their lives. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has disclosed that Ghanaian banks profitability in 2023 indicates the sector's rebound from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme, which caused significant losses to the sector. The BoG said the banking sector was particularly strong in 2023, as the sector recorded GHS8.3 billion in profit from a loss of GHS6.6 billion in December 2022. This was disclosed in the Monetary Policy Report for January 2024, which highlighted the economic and financial sector assessments that the Monetary Policy Committee of the BoG considered prior to the policy decision during the 116th meeting. The BoG said the growth outturns of key income lines contributed to the improved profit performance of the banks in 2023. 'Net interest income grew by 41.5 percent in 2023, compared to a growth of 18.7 percent in 2022. Fees and commissions grew by 22.7 percent in 2023, relative to a growth of 25.2 percent in 2022.' It said the increased growth in net interest income in December 2023 was on account of higher int erest income on loans and investments from increased lending rates and interest rates on money market instruments. 'The moderation in interest expenses, which is attributed to the contraction in borrowings observed during the year, also contributed to the higher growth in net interest income in December 2023 relative to December 2022,' the report said. Banks reported lower impairments on financial assets in 2023, also contributing to the improved profit performance during the year. Total provisions and impairments contracted by 79.2 percent in December 2023, after increasing sharply in December 2022 on account of the huge impairments on restructured bonds. Operating expenses, on the other hand, recorded a higher growth of 34.9 percent in December 2023, relative to the 27.2 percent growth in December 2022, driven by the higher growth in other operating expenses and staff costs,' the BoG said. In a related report, Fitch Solutions, an international rating agency, disclosed that the bank's profitability in 2 023 minimised the impact of the DDEP. The rating agency also attributed the profitability to the capital-raising initiatives encouraged by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) through the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF), which it said will continue to support the recovery in capitalization. The losses due to the DDEP were said to have cost the Ghanaian banks an amount of GHS 37.7 billion, with private and domestic banks losing GHS 19.9 billion while their foreign-owned counterparts lost GHS 17.7 billion. Source: Ghana News Agency

The 67th Independence Day parade held within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality and hosted at the Tarkwa Senior High School park in the Western Region attracted a large crowd made up of residents, school children and the elderly. The people defied the scorching sun to be part of the historic event, which was held at the urban council premise within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality. At the Tarkwa urban council, 10 cadet corps, 20 Basic, Junior and Senior High Schools, and some groups of persons participated in the parade. Security officers, chiefs, clergy, imams and cooperate institutions also graced the occasion. Selected schools and students were recognized for their sterling performance in the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). They received a certificate and cash prize. Mr Benjamin Kessie, the Municipal Chief Executive, in his address, advised Ghanaians that 'As we prepare for the polls on December 7, let us keep in mind that we cannot sacrifice our Ghanaian character of harmony on the altar of political bigotry.' He said multiparty democracy was not synonymous with enmity and division, rather, it offered them a melting point for the exchange of ideas, stressing that the essence of democracy, laid not only in the electoral processes but also in safeguarding of fundamental rights and protection of minority voices. 'Therefore, in order to ensure a democratic society, it is important to have a safe and secured community where people are able to move freely without, fear or hindrance which is why the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) meets regularly to ensure that our Municipality is devoid of any issues that will pose a threat to our safety.' 'It is based on this that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, under the leadership of His Excellence, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rolled out the groundbreaking and transformative free Senior High School (SHS) Policy to improve upon literacy levels across the country,' Mr Kessie a dded. The MCE stated that the assembly had made several interventions and would continue to ensure the success of the free SHS Programme in the Municipality. Source: Ghana News Agency

Four executive members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) have been sentenced to a total jail term of 17 years imprisonment by an Accra High Court. This was after the court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekueh Nyanzuh found them guilty on the various charges preferred against them. The accused persons, including police and military officers, were jailed after they had gone through full trial on the charges of being members of a prohibited organization, summoning meetings of prohibited organisation, attending meeting of prohibited organization, and making contributions for the benefit of prohibited organization. Michael Koku Kwabla Amertornu Gohey, aka Togbe Yesu Edudzi, a founder of the WTRF, was sentenced to five years imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of GHC12,000 on him. Gohey in default, would serve one year imprisonment. Three other accused persons, Nene Kwaku Agblorm II, aka Joshua Tawiah Agblorm, WOI Emmanuel Afedo, a Military Officer and Lance Corporal Abednego Dzrek e Mawena, a Police officer, were sentenced to four years imprisonment each. The three convicts were also sentenced to a fine of GHC4,800 each in default. They would serve three months' jail terms each. Mr Andy Vortia, who represented the three convicts in his plea for mitigation, urged the court to consider the number of years his clients had spent in custody. According to Mr Vortia, his clients had virtually spent three years, six months imprisonment each, hence the court should consider imposing a minimum fine on them. In the case of Lance Corporal Mawena, defence counsel said he had been suffering stroke for some time and had been in incarceration for the past four years. The defence counsel, therefore, prayed the court to impose a fine on him so he could unite with his family. The prosecution led by Mr Joshua Sackey, Senior State Attorney, prayed the court to hand down deterrent sentence on the convicts to serve as a lesson for likeminded persons. Mr Sackey told the court the two security officers among the convicts who had taken oaths to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the State woefully failed to do so. According to Mr Sackey, their activities amounted to a betrayal, adding their time spent in custody did not mean they had been sentenced. The court in handing down the sentences held that prosecution led cogent evidence depicting the activities of the WTRF, with an agenda to break away. The facts are that officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), based on intelligence, embarked on an exercise to identify, and arrest members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front, who on 25th September, 2020, blocked the road at Juapong and Sogakope and set fire to two STC vehicles. On the same day, some members of the group also attacked the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations, freed the inmates in the cells, locked up the policemen on duty in the cells, took arms and ammunitions from the armory of the police stations and bolted. The Western Togoland Restoration Front is a splinter organi sation from the Homeland Study Group Foundation, whose main objective is to secede from the Republic of Ghana and form a new sovereign State. The supposed new State is to cover the entire Oti and Volta regions and parts of the Eastern and Northern regions of the Republic of Ghana. Investigations showed that the Western Togoland Restoration Front was formed after Charles Kwami Kudzordzi @Papavi Hogbedetor, who is the founder and leader of the Homeland Study Group Foundation, a prohibited organisation, went into hiding after his arrest and release. The first accused person, Michael Koku Kwabla Amertonu @Togbe Yesu Edudzie, who was deputy to Papavi Hogbedetor, founded the Western Togoland Restoration Front to continue from where Papavi Hogbedetor left. The other accused persons are members of the National Executive Council of the Western Togoland Restoration Front. The first accused person, as the leader of the group, summoned meetings of the National Executive Council of the Western Togoland Restoration Fr ont at which discussions were made as to how to secede from the Republic of Ghana. At one of the National Executive Council Meetings, a proposed list of the cabinet of the envisaged State was discussed. The first accused person was to become the Prime Minister of the envisaged state. The fifth accused person, WO1 Emmanuel Hayford Afedo, was put in charge of educating and recruiting new members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front from the Northern parts of the Republic of Ghana. At other meetings, the accused persons held discussions on how the civil service staff of the envisaged State was to be paid. The Western Togoland Restoration Front, at its National Executive Council meeting on September 24, 2020, decided to block the roads at Sogakofe, Sege, Kpong and Juapong. They also planned to attack the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations. On 25 September, 2021, at dawn, the roads were blocked with trips of sand and burning tyres. The members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front also attacked the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations, held the officers and their families hostage, freed inmates from the cells, broke into the armory of these two police stations and made away with arms and ammunitions belonging to the Ghana Police Service. Investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons who admitted being members of Western Togoland Restoration Front. They also admitted playing active roles in its organisation and activities such as the attendance of meetings. In addition, the first accused person, Michael Koku Kwabla Amertonu @Togbe Yesu Edudzie, and third accused person, Charles Elo (now deceased), also admitted making financial contributions towards the operations of the organisation. In addition, the third accused person (Elo) was found to have taken part in the blocking of the road and the attack on the Aveyime Police Station on September 25, 2020, Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Abraham Kwame Antwi, Oforikrom Municipal Chief Executive, has called on Ghanaians to unite and commit themselves to building a sustainable democracy for the better future of all. He observed that although Ghana's democracy was a work in progress, challenges remained and there was still much work to be done in deepening democratic governance, promoting inclusivity and combat corruption. 'But let us not be discouraged by these challenges; instead, let them serve as a reminder of the importance of our collective efforts to safeguard our democracy,' he stated. Mr. Antwi was speaking at the 67th Independence Day Celebration organized by the Municipal Assembly at the Royal Parade Grounds of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). In all, a parade of 20 schools selected from the primary, junior high and senior high schools, marched past the dais to show patriotism and reverence to the flag of Ghana. The MCE said Ghana's democracy was built on the principles of freedom, equality and j ustice, where every citizen's rights mattered and every vote counted. It was also a democracy that had weathered many storms, emerging stronger and more vibrant with each challenge. Touching on this year's theme 'Our Democracy, Our Pride, ' he indicated that it reminded 'citizens of the values we owe dearly in the journey we have undertaken as a nation. 'It is a time for us to reflect on the precious gift of democracy that we cherish as pride, as we celebrate our democracy, we take pride in the progress we have achieved. 'We have held successful elections, peacefully transitioned power and upheld the rule of law and our democratic institutions continue to evolve and strengthen, ensuring that the voices of the people are heard and respected,' he stated. Mr Antwi said Ghana's democracy was a testament to the resilience and determination of the Ghanaian people. He reminded students of the importance of discipline and hard work as guiding principles to achieve academic success. Source: Ghana News Agency